Biocompatible Iodine-Starch-Alginate Hydrogel for Tumor Photothermal Therapy

ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2019 Jul 8;5(7):3654-3662. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b00280. Epub 2019 Jun 7.

Abstract

Photothermal therapy (PTT) with the advantages of high efficiency and minimal invasiveness is a promising technique for tumor therapy, but clinical application of PTT agents has been stifled by the great safety concerns. Herein, a deep blue iodine-starch-alginate (ALG) hydrogel is elegantly fabricated based on the classic and simple "iodine-starch test" for in vivo tumor PTT in a facile and mild way. The iodine-starch-ALG hydrogel composed of clinically used agents is fabricated by dispersing blue iodine-starch complex into alginate-Ca2+ hydrogel, which guarantees the good chemical stability of iodine-starch complex via separating them from surrounding reductive environment. The iodine-starch-ALG hydrogel possesses favorable biocompatibility derived from the biosafe and degradable components and possesses good photothermal heating ability based on iodine-starch chromophore. The proposed iodine-starch-ALG hydrogel is successfully applied in tumor PTT in vitro and in vivo for the first time. This work lays down a novel way for the development of high-performance and biocompatible biomaterials via teaching old drugs new tricks.

Keywords: biocompatibility; iodine−starch−ALG hydrogel; photothermal therapy.